THIN LIZZY – Shades Of A Blue Orphanage [Japan SHM-CD remastered] *EXCLUSIVE*

Reaching the end with THIN LIZZY‘s discography – requested by many of you regarding which we consider the best sound quality CD pressings – here’s the band’s second studio album ”Shades Of A Blue Orphanage”, a great expanded edition including as bonus the classic ‘Whisky In The Jar (Full Length Version Of Single Track)’ and its B-side, some songs 1977 Overdubbed & Remixed Versions (with licks by Gary Moore) only available on 7” vinyl until now, and the previously unreleased BBC sessions.
This remastered Japanese edition on SHM-CD feels natural and clear, fortunately not brickwalled / not saturated.

Thin Lizzy’s second album is a nod to the past: ”Shades Of A Blue Orphanage” were former outfits of two of the band’s members (Shades Of Blue & Orphanage), their names combined to create an oddly evocative image–especially when combined with a sepia-tinted image cover of three small, shoeless children intended to represent vocalist Phil Lynott, guitarist Eric Bell, and drummer Brian Downey.

Looking back is a common theme of the LP. The soft, sensitive “Sarah” was written for Phil Lynott’s grandmother who raised him when his mother, Philomena, was unable to do so. This song should not be confused with the 1979 song of the same name, for Lynott’s daughter, included on ‘Black Rose: A Rock Legend’.
It’s an album that challenges your perceptions about a group you think you have nailed down through future singles “Jailbreak,” “The Boys Are Back In Town,” and “Whisky In The Jar.”

Here, “I Don’t Want To Forget How To Jive” sees the band try their hand at rockabilly, and “Chatting Today” evokes the emotive performances of Richie Havens. As a whole, ”Shades Of A Blue Orphanage” presents a version of the band that places its foundations beyond the hard rock for which the group are famous.
The preposterously titled “The Rise And Dear Demise Of The Funky Nomadic Tribes,” which opens the LP, epitomizes this, including tribal beats, funky guitars, and Lynott singing in full soul-power mode.
It’s begging to be sampled, like the group’s contemporary–but incognito–work as Funky Junction, under which name they released Funky Junction Play A Tribute To Deep Purple the same year.

Those who prefer Thin Lizzy in more recognizable form will find things to love, too: “Buffalo Gal” is as restrained as a song with an insistent, descending riff could ever be, and “Call The Police” is a bluesy swagger that shows off Lynott’s talent for describing life on the gritty streets of the Republic Of Ireland’s much-romanticized capital city.
The record culminates in the world-weary title track with a chorus that cuts straight to the bone: “It’s true blue, Irish blue.”

Released in 1972, just three years after the band formed in Dublin, it’s fair to say that ”Shades Of A Blue Orphanage” represents a group on the move, still finding their feet, and possibly bending to the will of a record label who didn’t quite know what to do with a multiracial, multi-faith rock band from a sectarian country.
Sales of ”Shades Of A Blue Orphanage” wasn’t the one to turn their fortunes around. Still, it’s fascinating listening for even those with a passing interest in their history.
Highly Recommended

Only at 0dayrox

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01 – The Rise And Dear Demise Of The Funky Nomadic Tribes
02 – Buffalo Gal
03 – I Don’t Want To Forget How To Jive
04 – Sarah
05 – Brought Down
06 – Baby Face
07 – Chatting Today
08 – Call The Police
09 – Shades Of A Blue Orphanage
BONUS TRACKS:
10 – Whisky In The Jar (Full Length Version Of Single Track)
11 – Black Boys On The Corner (Single ‘B’ Side)
12 – Buffalo Gal (1977 Overdubbed & Remixed Versions)
13 – Sarah (1977 Overdubbed & Remixed Versions)
14 – Brought Down (1977 Overdubbed & Remixed Versions)
15 – Suicide (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session)
16 – Black Boys On The Corner (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session)
17 – Saga Of The Ageing Orphan (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session)
18 – Whisky In The Jar (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session)

Philip Lynott – vocals, bass, guitars
Eric Bell – lead guitar, acoustic guitar
Brian Downey – drums, percussion
with
Clodagh Simonds – harpsichord, keyboards, mellotron
Gary Moore – additional guitar on tracks 12-14

Out Of Print
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-94742